The United States on Thursday threw its support behind World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim for a second term at the helm of the multilateral development lender.
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Mr. Kim’s first term doesn’t end until June, but the US appears to be firmly pressing his bid early to avoid controversy with other countries or the development agency’s staff, some of whom have bristled at Mr. Kim’s efforts to overhaul the sprawling worldwide financial institution.
“I am proud to announce that today the United States has nominated World Bank President Jim Kim for a second term”, the US Treasury Secretary Jacob J Lew said.
“We have accepted decades of backroom deals which, twelve times in a row, selected an American male”, the association said in an open letter earlier this month, in opposition to the second term of the Korean-born American citizen.
The U.S. -based World Bank Group started the process to nominate the next president on Thursday, shortly after Kim expressed his interest in a second term.
Lew praised Kim for spearheading “needed reforms at the World Bank to better leverage knowledge within the bank and enhance the use of the financial resources that shareholders provide”. Following the close of the nomination process, the bank’s executive directors will decide on a shortlist of up to three candidates for interviews.
The American physician, anthropologist, and former college president has headed the bank since 2012.
Among the selection criteria, the bank said candidates should have a proven leadership track record of managing a large organisation with global exposure; the ability to articulate a clear vision for the World Bank Group’s development mission; a firm commitment to multilateral cooperation; effective communication skills, impartiality and objectivity.
After taking office in July that year, Mr Kim announced a new goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030 and a sweeping internal reorganization to foster collaboration across the Bank.
Nominations for the position will open on August 25 and close on September 14, said the World Bank.
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Mr Kim’s reforms appear to have alienated many staff members, who in employee surveys have reported feeling detached from senior management and unsure of the direction of policy.
